08-06-2023, 11:46 AM
(05-06-2023, 08:33 PM)Mike Watterson Wrote: I suspect a diac can be replicated with two diodes or zeners depending on voltage. Low voltage is Zener action (reverse Vbe or lower voltage zeners). High voltage is Avalanche mode.
Well, no - Zener diodes (whether true Zener, or avalanche, action) pass zero current until the breakdown is reached - at which point they start to pass current maintaining the same terminal voltage.
Diacs, on the other hand, pass zero current until the breakdown is reached, following which they start to pass current and a regenerative action happens and the terminal voltage snaps back to a lower voltage - like, for instance, a neon bulb, only at lower voltages.
